Patrick James King (born 1978 or 1979) is a Canadian

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

activist,

homophobe Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, ma ...

and

conspiracy theorist A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

from

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants of ...

, who lives near

Red Deer, Alberta Red Deer is a city in Alberta, Canada, located midway on the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Red Deer serves central Alberta, and key industries include health care, retail trade, construction, oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing and education. ...

. He is known for protesting COVID-19 mandates. He has led the

Wexit The Maverick Party, formerly known as Wexit Canada, is a Canadian federal political party. It advocates for constitutional changes to benefit, or the independence of, Western Canada, which includes British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Mani ...

movement advocating for secession from Canada of Alberta and other western provinces, led the '' United We Roll'' movement, and acted as a regional organizer for the

Canada convoy protest A series of protests and blockades in Canada against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, called the Freedom Convoy (french: Convoi de la liberté, links=no) by organizers, began in early 2022. The initial convoy movement was created t ...

. King was arrested on February 18, 2022, at the Canada convoy protests in Ottawa and faces multiple charges. He was released on bail on July 18, 2022.

Activism and demonstration

Prior to being ordered by the courts to stop, King was highly active on social media, his Facebook profile had 341,000 followers in July 2023.

Western Canada secessionism

In 2019, King was an organizer of the

movement that advocated for Canada's

prairie provinces The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

to secede.

''United We Roll''

King was a co-organizer, and a driver for the ''United We Roll'' yellow vest protest in 2019 and spoke of the importance of a gas pipeline, and the employment benefits of the oil and gas industry. He also spoke of the national benefit of the Albertan economy and the lack of support to Albertans in 2019. King later stated that the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

distorted the messages of the movement.

Alberta anti-racist counter protest

King was part of a right-wing counter protest to an anti-racist demonstration in Red Deer in 2020 where he was noted for saying: "That’s patriots kicking antifa out of their towns!" In September 2020, he organized a second counter-protest in Ponoka and threatened violence against anti-racist protests who he characterized as Antifa.

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

In August 2021, King and

Chris Sky Christopher Saccoccia, widely referred to as Chris Sky, is a Canadian conspiracy theorist known for his involvement in the anti-mask, anti-lockdown, COVID-19 denial and anti-vaccine movements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Saccoccia faces a numbe ...

visited

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are k ...

and spoke as part of a ''No-Vaxx Pass'' tour, in which they advocated for Canadians to defy the rules about vaccine passports. Also in August, King incorrectly claimed that his actions led to easing of COVID-19 public health measures in Alberta. His misunderstanding was a result of him misreading court documents rejecting his appeal against a parking ticket. This led to the

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) is a Canadian legal advocacy organization specializing in a social conservative approach to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The organization describes itself as non-partisan, b ...

stating that: "It is unclear whether Mr. King fully understands the legal process he is involved in." In October 2021, King broadcast a video, falsely claiming that the Canadian military had set up a base at

Black Lake Denesuline First Nation Black Lake ( chp, Tazen Tuwé) is a Denesuline First Nations band government in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located on the northwest shore of Black Lake where the Fond du Lac River leaves the lake to flow to Lake A ...

and were forcing COVID-19 vaccinations on women and children. The video went viral, resulting in pressure upon the

Athabasca Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada. Athabasca may a ...

Health Authority and the

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), formerly known as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, is a Saskatchewan-based First Nations organization. It represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan and is committed to honouring ...

to put out statements, correcting the misinformation. In November 2021, King claimed there was no evidence that COVID-19 exists, in a social media message. In December, King said of the public health measures: "The only way this is going to be solved is with bullets."

2021 Federal election

King has accused Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

of stealing the

2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The writs of election were issued by Governor General Mary Simon on August 15, 2021, when Prime Minist ...

and in the lead up to the

advised his social media followers to stock up on food and supplies as preparation for "what's coming".

Canada convoy protest

King was a regional organizer and one of the highest profile promoters of the 2022 Canada convoy protest in Ottawa. Responding to a question about the impact of noise on Ottawa residents, King expressed amusement. In the lead up to the Ottawa protest, MP

Jeremy Patzer Jeremy Patzer (born 26 March 1987) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Cypress Hills—Grasslands Cypress Hills—Grasslands is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represent ...

stated that he had no association with King after meeting him as the protest convoy passed through

Swift Current Swift Current is the fifth largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 6.8% between 2011 and 2016, ending up at ...

. King suggested that someone was going to make Prime Minister

“catch a bullet” one day. King was arrested on February 18, 2022.

Arrest, charges, and detention

King was arrested on February 18, 2022, during the convoy protests as part of a police operation aimed at peacefully ending the occupation. He broadcast the arrest via his Facebook page. He was charged with mischief, counselling to commit mischief, perjury, obstruction of justice, counselling to disobey a court order, and counselling to obstruct police. He was held in the

Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre The Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) is a correctional facility in Ottawa, Ontario.Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

determined that there was a substantive likelihood of King reoffending given his criminal history and the overwhelming case presented by the Crown. His lawyer had argued for bail due to the risk that King could catch COVID-19 in jail while awaiting trial. This prompted the judge to address the irony of the situation: "an individual whose ''raison d'etre'' is to protest vehemently against public health measures designed to reduce the spread of COVID, would now suggest that the delay or the potential for being infected at a detention centre could impact the court's decision." On March 24, 2022, an additional four charges were laid against King, who is now co-accused with Tyson George Billings, bringing the new total to ten charges: two counts of obstructing police, two counts of intimidation, one count of counselling intimidation, one count of disobeying a court order, counselling to commit mischief, mischief, counselling to disobey a court order, and counselling to obstruct police. King was granted bail on 18 July 2022, and forbidden from using social media, contacting convoy leaders, or organising convoy-related protests. King's trial is scheduled for November 27, 2023. A request to relocate the trial away from Ottawa was initially rejected by

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

justice Kevin Phillip in April 2023. That rejected was set aside in June by Phillip after a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, two days after his decision, altered the standard by which Justices may deny applications. In July 2023, King was permitted by the courts to restart using social media to fundraise for his legal costs, which had reached $170,000.

Views and conspiracy theories

King has a history of anti-Muslim, white nationalist, and far-right conspiracy theories. He has shared videos online promoting the

white genocide conspiracy theory The white genocide, white extinction, or white replacement conspiracy theory is a white supremacist conspiracy theory which states that there is a deliberate plot, often blamed on Jews, to promote miscegenation, interracial marriage, mass non- ...

, including saying on social media "There’s an endgame: It’s called depopulation of the Caucasian race." In 2020, King had a conversation with the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' in which he shared conflicting views about violence and "ranted" about left wing ideologies, Antifa, and

cancel culture Cancel culture, or rarely also known as call-out culture, is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles—whether it be online, on ...

. King accused the government of Canada of permitting

Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

terrorists to enter Canada as refugees, of "normalizing pedophilia", and of adopting an immigration policy to “depopulate the white, Anglo-Saxon race.” He has advocated against a

carbon tax A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions required to produce goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the "hidden" social costs of carbon emissions, which are otherwise felt only in indirect ways like more sev ...

, arguing that it puts Canadians at an economic disadvantage. King has said that the only way to end Canadian public health measures against COVID-19 may be achieved "with bullets". King also commented that Justin Trudeau was going to catch a bullet. In 2021, he claimed that

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

death toll of 6 million was overstated.

Personal life

King was born in 1978 or 1979 in

. King lives in Innisfail,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, near

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

. King has claimed

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

heritage, although that claim has been challenged by the Métis community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Pat Living people COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Canadian conspiracy theorists COVID-19 conspiracy theorists Canadian anti-vaccination activists Activists from Alberta Activists from Ontario Far-right politics in Canada People from Red Deer County People from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canadian white nationalists Canadian prisoners and detainees Social media influencers Yellow vest activists Year of birth missing (living people) Protesters involved in the Canada convoy protest Prisoners and detainees of Canada